A form moved between the dimensions, leaving a luminous trail in the
aether. Its thoughts were troubled, as it surveyed the boundary between
one world and another. Small cracks had begun to form in the boundary,
though the being was glad to see that the barrier was still intact. In
many other places, the boundaries were breaking down much more quickly, and
the being cursed in a language no human has ever heard spoken. The being
had expected some damage from the battles that had been fought, but it had
expected the dimensions to find balance again, and that the wounds in the
dimensional walls would heal over time. However, the cracks were
deepening, and in some places, the line between one reality and another was
becoming indistinct. In many places, dimensions had started to bleed over,
charactistics from one becoming a part of the others it touched.
The being ran a hand over the cracks, letting power flow into them. When it removed its hand, the cracks were sealed, and it sighed, satisfied that, here at least, the damage could be undone. It moved on, looking for other places where the damage was not so great that it would still be able to repair the walls.
---
Two combatants circled eachother, looking for an opening. They'd danced this dance many times before, and neither bothered with exploratory attacks. If there was an opening, one or the other would see it, and take advantage.
The blonde-haired man noticed the woman shift her eyes to his shoulder, and he tensed, preparing for an attack. He'd left his left hand drop slightly, inviting an attack, but when his opponent did move toward him, the expected blow didn't fall. She moved her eyes to the opposite shoulder, dropping into a crouch, then rising quickly, grabbing his right arm and pulling hard. He felt himself lifted off the ground, and his vision swam as his face hit the ground, hard. He tried to roll over, but she was already on his back, her arms encircling his neck. She pressed her knees into his back, lifting his torso off the ground, and threatening to break his spine.
He grabbed her arms, trying to pry them apart, but knew he had lost. He slapped his open palm into the ground, and she released her hold on him, rolling off him to the side. As she stood, she offered him her hand, and he took it.
"Bloody hell, woman, were you trying to break my back?"
Buffy smiled at him as she watched him rub his throat. "Just paying you back for the bruises you gave me last time."
Spike grinned, checking his back to make sure there was no damage. "Yeah, well, I still say you didn't get those from our spar."
"I DID get those from the fight," she said, then blushed as she continued, "at least, I'm pretty sure I did."
"Right," Spike said. "And I'm sure the rest believe that too."
"Hey, it was all your fault, any way it happened. You need to learn some self control, buddy."
Spike grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. He pinned her beneath him, and laughed as she struggled. "What can I say, around you, I just can't help myself."
As he leaned in to kiss her, a voice came from behind them. "I thought you two were training."
They both looked up to see Dawn standing over them, her arms crossed.
"I was just, um, teaching her a new move I came up with."
"Uh huh. And I suppose that 'move' is something she'd be able to use the next time she goes on patrol, right?"
Buffy pushed Spike off her, and looked at her sister. She blushed again, a silly grin spreading across her face. "Well, that would depend on who I was fighting, I guess," she said as she straightened her shirt.
"Anyway," Dawn said, rolling her eyes, "I just wanted to let you know I was home."
As Dawn walked back up the stairs, Buffy and Spike looked at eachother, sharing a laugh. "You know," Spike said as he dusted himself off, "we really should put a lock on that bloody door."
"Yeah. And a red light above it to let everyone know we're in here. And a little sign saying 'If the basements rocking, don't come a knocking'."
"Sounds like a good idea to me."
---
"Are you sure about this?"
Willow looked awkwardly at Tara, and asked, "Haven't you felt it?"
"I've been feeling something. Do you think we should tell Buffy?" Tara moved to sit down, pushing some of the books Willow had scattered around her on the floor to one side.
"Not yet," Willow said. "I want to be sure we're not just overreacting."
"But if I'm right, this is bad."
---
The barrier was indistinct. In places, it disappeared completely, and in those places it was impossible to distinguish between the two realities that had once existed seperately. Too much damage had been done for the being to repair it, and as it watched, the barrier disappeared entirely. The being pressed his fingertips against the wall of the newly created realm, creating an opening, and stepped through.
The entire realm was in flux, shifting rapidly between one reality and another. Everything seemed to move slightly, one second seeming completely solid, the next wavering, becoming insubstantial. A building shifted, and for a moment ceased to exist, then snapped back suddenly. Its walls buckled from the stress, the roof falling in on itself. In the distance, a large fire burned, the flames shifting from bright orange, almost white, to black. A creature crawled toward the being, and even after having seen so much, the being found it had to look away. The poor, pathetic thing was dying, its body twisting and tearing under the pressure created by the clashing realities. Half its body shifted, extra arms sprouting from its torso, and the thing died with a sad, wet sound, its anatomy too twisted to support life.
The being felt itself changing too, and quickly passed back into the space between. It had seen this, and worse, happen in other places, but the process appeared to be accelerating. The new, hybrid realities were always unstable, and as more walls fell, the pressure on the remaining barriers was increasing. An idea began to form in its mind, and it set off, hoping that the place it sought was not already gone.
---
Spike sat in the kitchen, taking long gulps from a coffee mug. He finished, and rinsed the mug, placing it in the sink. He considered refilling the mug, but he didn't want to miss the start of the movie, and since he'd had a small accident in the living room, Buffy didn't allow him to drink anywhere but hte kitchen.
Dawn was home for a few days, and Spike wanted as much time with her as he could get. Since she'd left for college, they'd kept in touch, but he found he missed having her around.
"Has it started yet?" he asked, walking into the living room.
Buffy and Dawn were already situated on the couch, and both looked up when they heard his voice. He was struck by how much Dawn had changed in the time she'd been gone. She was easily a head taller than Buffy, even sitting down, though he could still see the resemblance to Buffy.
"You're just in time," Dawn said, moving over ot make room for him on the couch.
Spike sat, putting his arm around Buffy. "I thought we were going to have another little guest tonight," he said, throwing a small smile at Dawn.
"He'll be here. He's just kinda bad with the whole being on time thing."
"Maybe he got eaten by some big nasty on the way her," Spike said, showing mock concern.
"William!" Buffy said, slapping his arm.
"I'm only kidding," he said, glancing sideways at Dawn. "Besides, if he can handle nibblet, I doubt any nasty he ran into would stand a chance against him."
Dawn giggled, "You know it!"
The movie started, and the three of them settled in to watch it.
---
Tara completed the ritual, and an image shimmered in the air above her. She traced glowing lines with her finger, following the twisting and turning paths. Willow watched, fascinated with the complex web of colored lines.
"Here. See this?" Tara asked, pointing to a place where two of the lines crossed. As she followed them both, they crossed again, and again. She stopped when both merged into a single line, watching the colors shift rapidly.
"And here," she said, pointing to another place where thre lines intersected. In that place, though, the lines simply stopped. She traced backwards, and watched as all three slowly started to fade, their once vibrant colors shifting to a dull grey.
"Can you find ours?" Willow asked, stepping forward to get a better look at the construct.
Tara placed her hands on either side of the image, and as she moved her fingers along the edges, the entire construct moved to follow them, turning in the air. "Here," she said, indicating a line that flowed through the construct, touching others, but never fully crossing them. "It looks okay, for now."
As they watched, the lines shifted, and the one she indicated briefly crossed another, though the two quickly separated.
"Now we tell Buffy," Willow said.
---
In a place no human eyes had ever seen, the being stopped, sending out its senses. It could feel the one it sought, and moved toward it.
The place was as yet untouched by the calamities occuring in the aether. Thick fog shrouded everything, but the being easily picked its way amongst the rocks and trees, coming at last to a clearing by a small stream.
The one it sought sat on a rock, staring at the moving water. Sensing the being's approach, the man's head turned, sightless eyes coming to rest on the being.
The man took a deep breath. "I can feel it. Is it as bad as I think?" he asked.
"Yes. I need your help."
"I know," the man said, reaching down into the water, letting the current wash over his fingers. "I can feel the walls moving as the stream does. How long do we have?"
"Not long. What can we do?"
The man rose, motioning for the being to follow him. "We can't do anything more than we are already. But there are others who can."
---
As the movie ended, all three sat, crying on the couch. "Bloody idiot," Spike said, "why'd he have to leave like that? Didn't he see how much she loved him?"
Dawn laughed, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "It's just a movie," she said, hugging him.
"Well, he's still a bloody wanker."
Buffy and Dawn looked at eachother, and then at Spike, laughing. "Oh, fine," he said, "Gang up on the weeping vampire. Very nice."
There was a knock at the door, and Spike got up to answer it. He wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve, and was silently thankful for whomever it was that saved him from the two.
He opened the door to find Willow standing outside. "Can I come in? I need to talk to Buffy."
Spike started to say something, but stopped when he noticed the way Willow was pulling at her sleeves. "Is something up?" he asked, stepping aside so she could enter.
Willow laughed, the sound small and sad. "You could say that."
---
Notes: I haven't been able to come up with a title I like for this one, so I thought we'd get a little audience participation going on. If you review the story, feel free to include suggestions for the title. I'll choose one of them after I publish the thrid part (most likely on this coming Saturday). The person who comes up with a title I like will get a thank you at the end of each chapter, and credit for the title. And, of course, bragging rights *grin*
The being ran a hand over the cracks, letting power flow into them. When it removed its hand, the cracks were sealed, and it sighed, satisfied that, here at least, the damage could be undone. It moved on, looking for other places where the damage was not so great that it would still be able to repair the walls.
---
Two combatants circled eachother, looking for an opening. They'd danced this dance many times before, and neither bothered with exploratory attacks. If there was an opening, one or the other would see it, and take advantage.
The blonde-haired man noticed the woman shift her eyes to his shoulder, and he tensed, preparing for an attack. He'd left his left hand drop slightly, inviting an attack, but when his opponent did move toward him, the expected blow didn't fall. She moved her eyes to the opposite shoulder, dropping into a crouch, then rising quickly, grabbing his right arm and pulling hard. He felt himself lifted off the ground, and his vision swam as his face hit the ground, hard. He tried to roll over, but she was already on his back, her arms encircling his neck. She pressed her knees into his back, lifting his torso off the ground, and threatening to break his spine.
He grabbed her arms, trying to pry them apart, but knew he had lost. He slapped his open palm into the ground, and she released her hold on him, rolling off him to the side. As she stood, she offered him her hand, and he took it.
"Bloody hell, woman, were you trying to break my back?"
Buffy smiled at him as she watched him rub his throat. "Just paying you back for the bruises you gave me last time."
Spike grinned, checking his back to make sure there was no damage. "Yeah, well, I still say you didn't get those from our spar."
"I DID get those from the fight," she said, then blushed as she continued, "at least, I'm pretty sure I did."
"Right," Spike said. "And I'm sure the rest believe that too."
"Hey, it was all your fault, any way it happened. You need to learn some self control, buddy."
Spike grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. He pinned her beneath him, and laughed as she struggled. "What can I say, around you, I just can't help myself."
As he leaned in to kiss her, a voice came from behind them. "I thought you two were training."
They both looked up to see Dawn standing over them, her arms crossed.
"I was just, um, teaching her a new move I came up with."
"Uh huh. And I suppose that 'move' is something she'd be able to use the next time she goes on patrol, right?"
Buffy pushed Spike off her, and looked at her sister. She blushed again, a silly grin spreading across her face. "Well, that would depend on who I was fighting, I guess," she said as she straightened her shirt.
"Anyway," Dawn said, rolling her eyes, "I just wanted to let you know I was home."
As Dawn walked back up the stairs, Buffy and Spike looked at eachother, sharing a laugh. "You know," Spike said as he dusted himself off, "we really should put a lock on that bloody door."
"Yeah. And a red light above it to let everyone know we're in here. And a little sign saying 'If the basements rocking, don't come a knocking'."
"Sounds like a good idea to me."
---
"Are you sure about this?"
Willow looked awkwardly at Tara, and asked, "Haven't you felt it?"
"I've been feeling something. Do you think we should tell Buffy?" Tara moved to sit down, pushing some of the books Willow had scattered around her on the floor to one side.
"Not yet," Willow said. "I want to be sure we're not just overreacting."
"But if I'm right, this is bad."
---
The barrier was indistinct. In places, it disappeared completely, and in those places it was impossible to distinguish between the two realities that had once existed seperately. Too much damage had been done for the being to repair it, and as it watched, the barrier disappeared entirely. The being pressed his fingertips against the wall of the newly created realm, creating an opening, and stepped through.
The entire realm was in flux, shifting rapidly between one reality and another. Everything seemed to move slightly, one second seeming completely solid, the next wavering, becoming insubstantial. A building shifted, and for a moment ceased to exist, then snapped back suddenly. Its walls buckled from the stress, the roof falling in on itself. In the distance, a large fire burned, the flames shifting from bright orange, almost white, to black. A creature crawled toward the being, and even after having seen so much, the being found it had to look away. The poor, pathetic thing was dying, its body twisting and tearing under the pressure created by the clashing realities. Half its body shifted, extra arms sprouting from its torso, and the thing died with a sad, wet sound, its anatomy too twisted to support life.
The being felt itself changing too, and quickly passed back into the space between. It had seen this, and worse, happen in other places, but the process appeared to be accelerating. The new, hybrid realities were always unstable, and as more walls fell, the pressure on the remaining barriers was increasing. An idea began to form in its mind, and it set off, hoping that the place it sought was not already gone.
---
Spike sat in the kitchen, taking long gulps from a coffee mug. He finished, and rinsed the mug, placing it in the sink. He considered refilling the mug, but he didn't want to miss the start of the movie, and since he'd had a small accident in the living room, Buffy didn't allow him to drink anywhere but hte kitchen.
Dawn was home for a few days, and Spike wanted as much time with her as he could get. Since she'd left for college, they'd kept in touch, but he found he missed having her around.
"Has it started yet?" he asked, walking into the living room.
Buffy and Dawn were already situated on the couch, and both looked up when they heard his voice. He was struck by how much Dawn had changed in the time she'd been gone. She was easily a head taller than Buffy, even sitting down, though he could still see the resemblance to Buffy.
"You're just in time," Dawn said, moving over ot make room for him on the couch.
Spike sat, putting his arm around Buffy. "I thought we were going to have another little guest tonight," he said, throwing a small smile at Dawn.
"He'll be here. He's just kinda bad with the whole being on time thing."
"Maybe he got eaten by some big nasty on the way her," Spike said, showing mock concern.
"William!" Buffy said, slapping his arm.
"I'm only kidding," he said, glancing sideways at Dawn. "Besides, if he can handle nibblet, I doubt any nasty he ran into would stand a chance against him."
Dawn giggled, "You know it!"
The movie started, and the three of them settled in to watch it.
---
Tara completed the ritual, and an image shimmered in the air above her. She traced glowing lines with her finger, following the twisting and turning paths. Willow watched, fascinated with the complex web of colored lines.
"Here. See this?" Tara asked, pointing to a place where two of the lines crossed. As she followed them both, they crossed again, and again. She stopped when both merged into a single line, watching the colors shift rapidly.
"And here," she said, pointing to another place where thre lines intersected. In that place, though, the lines simply stopped. She traced backwards, and watched as all three slowly started to fade, their once vibrant colors shifting to a dull grey.
"Can you find ours?" Willow asked, stepping forward to get a better look at the construct.
Tara placed her hands on either side of the image, and as she moved her fingers along the edges, the entire construct moved to follow them, turning in the air. "Here," she said, indicating a line that flowed through the construct, touching others, but never fully crossing them. "It looks okay, for now."
As they watched, the lines shifted, and the one she indicated briefly crossed another, though the two quickly separated.
"Now we tell Buffy," Willow said.
---
In a place no human eyes had ever seen, the being stopped, sending out its senses. It could feel the one it sought, and moved toward it.
The place was as yet untouched by the calamities occuring in the aether. Thick fog shrouded everything, but the being easily picked its way amongst the rocks and trees, coming at last to a clearing by a small stream.
The one it sought sat on a rock, staring at the moving water. Sensing the being's approach, the man's head turned, sightless eyes coming to rest on the being.
The man took a deep breath. "I can feel it. Is it as bad as I think?" he asked.
"Yes. I need your help."
"I know," the man said, reaching down into the water, letting the current wash over his fingers. "I can feel the walls moving as the stream does. How long do we have?"
"Not long. What can we do?"
The man rose, motioning for the being to follow him. "We can't do anything more than we are already. But there are others who can."
---
As the movie ended, all three sat, crying on the couch. "Bloody idiot," Spike said, "why'd he have to leave like that? Didn't he see how much she loved him?"
Dawn laughed, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "It's just a movie," she said, hugging him.
"Well, he's still a bloody wanker."
Buffy and Dawn looked at eachother, and then at Spike, laughing. "Oh, fine," he said, "Gang up on the weeping vampire. Very nice."
There was a knock at the door, and Spike got up to answer it. He wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve, and was silently thankful for whomever it was that saved him from the two.
He opened the door to find Willow standing outside. "Can I come in? I need to talk to Buffy."
Spike started to say something, but stopped when he noticed the way Willow was pulling at her sleeves. "Is something up?" he asked, stepping aside so she could enter.
Willow laughed, the sound small and sad. "You could say that."
---
Notes: I haven't been able to come up with a title I like for this one, so I thought we'd get a little audience participation going on. If you review the story, feel free to include suggestions for the title. I'll choose one of them after I publish the thrid part (most likely on this coming Saturday). The person who comes up with a title I like will get a thank you at the end of each chapter, and credit for the title. And, of course, bragging rights *grin*